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Juicy, tender slow cooked chuck roast that pulls apart! This BBQ pulled beef is perfect for sandwiches or all on it’s own.
Okay, look.
I am well known for my pulled pork. I make it often and everyone loves it. It’s a favorite around here for me because it’s simple and it’s a favorite of my guests because it’s downright delicious.
Sometimes I like to get a little crazy and switch from a pork shoulder to a chuck roast and turn that pulled pork into some seriously amazing pulled beef.
This slow cooker shredded beef is seriously out of this world good and I believe it’s thanks to a special little secret of mine that I’m about to share with you.
Are you ready?
Pulled Beef Secret Ingredient:
Mustard. Mustard is the secret.
That’s a weird secret to have, but it’s a good one because holy cow this beef is flavorful and perfect and you’re going to probably eat so many sandwiches that you’ll hate yourself afterwards.
Slather a chuck roast in good old American style yellow mustard and then season it all with our BBQ dry rub.
I make my own barbecue dry rub for this recipe as well as for my pulled pork and I get that this might sound a little intimidating, but if you have a spice cabinet, you’ve totally got this down. Barbecue dry rub is easy. You just dump a bunch of spices into a bowl and stir. Boom. Done.
Tender Beef:
You’ll pop everything into the slow cooker for 8 hours or so and then get your forks ready to shred.
Every now and then I hear from people making my French dip recipe that their beef doesn’t shred and they think they’ve overcooked it.
The opposite is actually true. If your meat isn’t shredding, it’s not cooked enough. Cover it back up and turn the slow cooker to high. Try again in 30 minutes or so. Easy peasy.
Now, I like my shredded beef nice and saucy, so after everything is shredded, I move on to my other secret step. This recipe is full of secrets. 😉
Pop the shredded beef into a skillet and sprinkle on a little more dry rub. Then you squirt in some of your favorite barbecue sauce. We prefer this Carolina BBQ sauce – it’s sweet, tangy, and really simple to make.
Cook it over medium heat, stirring often, for a few minutes. The sauce really soaks into the meat and the sugars start to caramelize and all is right in the world.
I serve this on sandwich buns with pickles. My dill pickle slaw would be great on this too!
Barbecue Shredded Beef
Ingredients
For the dry rub:
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup paprika
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons onion powder
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon chipotle pepper powder see notes
- 1 tablespoon parsley flakes
For the beef:
- 3 pounds chuck roast
- 2-3 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
- 1/2 cup bottled or homemade barbecue sauce
For serving:
- 8 hamburger buns
- pickle slices
Instructions
To make the dry rub:
- Add the brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, chipotle powder, and parsley to a small bowl and stir to combine. Remove 1 tablespoon of dry rub and set aside for later.
To make the shredded beef:
- Coat all sides of the chuck roast with the mustard.
- Liberally coat the roast in the dry rub. You may not need all of the rub. Store any excess in a covered container for another use. It will keep for a few months in your spice cabinet.
- Place roast in a slow cooker and cover the lid. No liquid is needed. Cook on low for 8 hours or until the roast is easily pulled apart with two forks.
- Shred the meat with two forks and transfer to a large skillet. Sprinkle with the reserved tablespoon of dry rub and add barbecue sauce. Stir to combine.
- Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Serve on sandwich buns with pickles, if desired.
Kristina T says
1/4 cup paprika? Going to try this soon!
Karly Campbell says
Yes, adds a little smokey sweet goodness. You can reduce if you don’t want that much, but we love it!
Kristina L Throssell says
I made this last night! Didn’t have chipotle pepper powder or any cayenne on hand so made it without. It was flavorful & very tasty, my bf ended up eating 3 sandwiches! So good!
Karly Campbell says
I love to hear that! Thanks for the review! <3
Sharon Reynolds says
Hi I am going to cook this slow cook bbq beef can I use standard roast joints and can I do it n oven overnight on low as no slow cooker
Karly Campbell says
Hi Sharon! I’m not sure what you mean by ‘standard roast joints’. You can do this in the oven, though I think it’ll only take around 4-6 hours on 300 degrees.
Sam. says
YES! …………..YES! …………….. YEESSS !!! Better than sex.
Karly says
Oh goodness, sounds like some pretty good sandwiches were made! Haha!
Donna says
Pressure cooker?? If I wanted to make this a pressure cooker instead of slow cooker how long do u recommend I cook it for?
Karly says
Hi Donna! I’d probably cut this into chunks and pressure cook with at least a cup of beef broth for 40-45 minutes. I haven’t tested this though.
Louise Barlll says
Quick question if cooked ahead of time as followed by recipe . Would it be a good idea to reheat it back up in slow cooker for a party to keep hot?
Karly says
Hi Louise! I’d probably heat it back up in the microwave and then pop it in the slow cooker on warm to stay hot. It would take so long in the slow cooker to reheat and I’d worry it would start to dry out.
Jennifer Menzies says
This recipe was an absolute winner! Thank you.
We entertained two families tonight and both kids and adults devoured it. We served it on damper rolls with coleslaw. The best part was that we cooked and shredded it yesterday. Then all we had to do when our guests were here was reheat and add the bbq sauce. So easy and a real crowd pleaser.
Karly says
So glad it was a hit! 🙂
Bonnie says
Hi this looks great and I want to make it to take on vacation can I freeze this?
Karly says
Hi Bonnie! It should freeze fine!
N says
Is McCormic chipotle chili pepper the correct spice? I can’t find chipotle powder. Should I keep looking for chipotle powder or use chipotle chili pepper? The only ingredient is chili pepper. I am making this for a large party tomorrow and need to be sure it is right.
Karly says
Hi there! They’re the same thing so what you have will be perfect. Enjoy!
N says
What prepared yellow mustard do you use? Just the big French squeeze bottle type?
How strong is taste from the chipotle powder?
Karly says
Yes, just standard yellow American mustard. The chipotle adds a little kick but it’s not overwhelming, in my opinion.
Dara says
I have tried this recipe several times, and it is delicious! Some in my family don’t like chipolte, so I leave out the chipolte pepper. Even without that it is so yummy! Plenty of food for everyone with this recipe!
Robin Karpinski says
I had never done pulled beef before but wanted to try something different. I used a top round roast. I didn’t have Chipotle powder so I combined Chipotle hot sauce with the mustard. It turned out AMAZING. I picked this recipe out of 5 others I was considering and will be making this again!
Karly says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂
Adriana says
Hi there! Looking at doubling the amount to feed 30, so i’ll Be using 6 pounds of meat, I have a largeish slowcooker but would it be better to do in two smaller batches so my two pieces of beef aren’t touching? Also I couldn’t find chuck so I’ll be using brisket, will that give a similar result?
Karly says
Hi there! I’ve never put brisket in a slow cooker before, but I think you’ll get similar results. Be sure to put the fat side up. And yes, you’re probably better off using two slow cookers.
Hope it works out well for you! 🙂
Marie says
I made this with 4 1/3 lbs chuck roast for a tailgate. It was delicious! One of the only things that was completely gone before the game. I wasn’t sure about cooking it in the slow cooker with no liquid, but it was perfect. Great recipe!
Karly says
Glad you gave it a try!